Family Time: Your child could be a target for identity theft

Tuesday

Apr 17, 2012 at 12:01 AMApr 17, 2012 at 5:12 PM

Weekly family rail, with tips on protecting your child’s identity, a look at some classic Three Stooges movies and more.

Tip of the Week

Most Americans are aware that identity theft is a significant problem, and that it's important to take measures to protect your identity. What people might not know is their children may also be targets of identity theft before they even become old enough to own a credit card. The Federal Trade Commission has identified child identity theft as a growing problem and encourages parents to do what they can to minimize the risks to their children.

The most common way a criminal can steal or misuse the identity of a child is to get access to the child's Social Security number. The perpetrator then uses the Social Security number to open credit card accounts or loans, rent an apartment, sign up for utilities like cellphone service, or even apply for a job. Credit issuers often don't have a way to verify the age of the applicant, so if the criminal changes the age of the identity associated with your child, it's possible that the issuer may approve them for credit, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Once an account has been established in your child's name, it's easier for criminals to establish subsequent accounts until this fraud is discovered. If your child's identity is stolen at an early age and the theft goes undiscovered until she reaches the age where she begins to establish her own credit, it can be very difficult to discover how the fraud first occurred.

Parents can take a number of steps to help prevent their children from becoming identity theft victims:

- Store your children's Social Security cards in a safe place, such as a safety deposit box. Only give out your children's Social Security number when it's absolutely necessary, and provide alternate verification whenever possible.

- Teach your children to never reveal personal information to anyone, no matter how trustworthy that person may seem. People close to the family are often found to be perpetrators in child identity theft cases.

- If your child receives pre-approved credit card offers in the mail, you may want to check in with a credit reporting agency or Social Security. If you've been contacted by a collection agency regarding an account in your child's name, there's a possibility your child's identity was stolen.

- Consider signing up your family members for a credit monitoring and identity protection solution.

- ARA

Family Movie Night

The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 1: 1934-1936, on DVD

Rated: Not rated

Length: 340 minutes

Synopsis: There’s a new “Three Stooges” movie, but if you want to check out the original comedy trio, start with this amazing collection. There are seven other DVD sets, but this is the very beginning.

Violence/scary rating: 3.5

Sexual-content rating: 1.5

Profanity rating: 1.5

Drugs/alcohol rating: 1.5

Family Time rating: 2.5: You know what to expect – cartoonish violence and madcap adventures.

(Ratings are judged on a five-point scale, with 5 being “bad for kids” and 1 being “fine for kids.”)

Synopsis: Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age. Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments. Now he's being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances — and a mystery that could change his life forever. Luckily, he has one important thing in his favor: He's a genius. On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places — and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself. - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Did You Know

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state with the highest teen birth rate is Mississippi. The lowest teen birth rate is New Hampshire.

GateHouse News Service

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